How to Use Libby on Kindle E-Readers to Read Library Books for free!
Libby is hands-down the best app I’ve found for getting free ebooks from my public library. It makes finding books to read incredibly simple, and allows me to open them up right then and there in the app. But did you know that it can also send ebooks to your Kindle library so you can read them there, too?
Whether we’re looking for educational books for the kids to read or checking out a beach read for ourselves, using Libby on our Kindles makes it simple to read what we want to read where we want to read it, all for free!
Keep reading to find out how to get Libby on your Kindle in just a few simple steps!
You can access library books using Libby app on:
- the Amazon App Store (Kindle Fire Devices)
- the Google Play Store (Android phones or Tablets)
- the Apple App Store (iPhones or iPads) or
- the Libby Web App
Keep reading this article to find out how to send library books to your kindle eReader using Libby!
Table of Contents:
I’ve loved public libraries ever since I was a kid, but in the years since I bought my first Kindle, I started checking out fewer physical books in favor of the Kindle editions that I could bring with me wherever I went. The convenience of ebooks was amazing, but it came with a price. Literally. I had to actually buy my books instead of checking them out.
For a while, I tried filling the gap with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service, and it mostly worked. There are tons of good books to check out there, and I could almost always find something to read, but if I wanted something specific, they often came up short.
It wasn’t until we brought our kids into the library to get their first library cards that I saw that our library had a selection of ebooks available through an app called Libby and decided to take a look. I couldn’t believe that I’d been missing out!
It is so easy to get great books from the library onto your Kindle reader, and even better, we can do it from anywhere in the world! That’s super helpful when we want to look up a book to go along with our latest field trip.
The books you can check out are limited to the ones that your library has available, just like in person, but for the low price of free, it’s still an amazing service!
Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Get your Library Card
If you’re wanting to take advantage of everything your library has to offer, the first step is to get a library card.
Joining your local library
The simplest way to get a library card is to pay a visit to your local library.
Public Library cards are free for anyone who lives within the library’s network. To get one you will need identification such as a driver’s license or a passport and some way to prove that you live in the area. This will usually be mail that you have received at your residence, such as a bill or credit card statement.
If you have both ID and proof of residence, getting a card is as simple as bringing them to your library and asking at the front desk. The librarian will help you to put your information into the system and hand you your shiny new library card!
It is worth noting that quite apart from just getting ebooks, your library card can get you access to everything your local library has to offer. What is available depends on the library, but many libraries have tons of things to borrow including movies, board games, seeds for your garden, tools, fishing tackle, and even physical books!
What your library has is highly dependent on your location, and not every library will have any of that, but it’s definitely worth asking.
Note: It may be that your public library does not have access to ebooks through Libby. If that is the case, keep reading.
Joining a non-local library (for a fee)
If you don’t have access to a free Public library that offers ebooks through Libby, you still have some options.
Many of the larger library systems in America offer paid access to their collections for those who are interested. The rates can vary greatly depending on what library you want to access, so you’ll have to check with the individual library for more information.
I personally like the Houston Public Library in Texas for this as they offer their services at a decent price ($40/year) and they have a good selection of books available. And if you live anywhere in Texas Do note that you will need a US address to access their system, though.
There’s a list of other libraries that offer non-resident cards here, for those who are interested.
Step 2: Check out a library book using Libby
Ok! So, you have a library card and you’re ready to get a new ebook to read on your Kindle.
Great! That brings us to our next step, choosing a library book through Libby.
What is Libby?
Libby is an app and website from the same company that provides Overdrive services. Overdrive works as a backend for public libraries to provide ebook services to their visitors, but when it first came out it was fairly difficult to navigate.
I used Overdrive a couple of times back in the day, but its difficult interface made it hard enough to use that it wasn’t worth it for me. Libby, by contrast, is much more user-friendly and does a great job of making books easy to check out.
It is available on the web or as an app for both Apple and Android, but unfortunately cannot be used directly from a Kindle e-ink reader. Instead, you have to check out your book from inside Libby before sending it to your Kindle.
Head over to the website or the app store of your choice to begin.
How to log in to your library with Libby
When you open up Libby for the first time, you will be greeted with a page asking if you already have a library card. Since you do, you can press yes. (If you don’t, Libby will direct you to the nearest library to apply for one.)
From there, Libby will try to help you find your library. If this is your first time using Libby, you’ll most likely want the middle option, “Search For A Library,” which will take you to a search bar where you can type in the city or zip code associated with your library.
Choose the correct library name, and it will take you to that library’s ebook catalog. At this point, you could go ahead and look through their collection, but you won’t be able to actually check out a book until you have signed in with your library card number.
Select “Sign In With My Card” to continue, and type in your card number. Once you enter it in and click ok, you should be in!
How to Borrow a book using Libby
Once you’ve attached your library card to your account, borrowing a book on Libby is a pretty straight-forward process. You can hit one of the gray buttons at the top to start browsing all the books your library offers or press the magnifying glass icon to search for something specific.
You can further limit what books you see by hitting the “Refine” button on the right. I find marking the “Available Now” button to be particularly helpful. Also, if you are looking specifically for a book to send to Kindle and not for a Magazine or Audiobook (which can’t be sent to Kindle), you’ll want to mark the “Books” option under format.
Once you’ve found your book of choice, click on the “Borrow” button, then hit “Borrow!” again to check it out.
Congratulations! You’ve borrowed your first ebook using Libby.
Step 3: Send your Libby eBook to your Kindle
At this point, you can start reading it right here in the Libby app, or you can choose to read it with Kindle to connect your library book to your Amazon account.
Before continuing, be sure that you are logged in to the correct Amazon account for your Kindle on whatever device you are using. Once you’ve checked that, you can hit the Read with Kindle option to connect your Libby book with Amazon.
This will take you to Amazon to claim the book.
Double-check that you are signed in to the correct account, and click the yellow “Get Library Book” button at the right-hand side of the screen to claim your Kindle book loan. It will be automatically delivered to the selected Kindle Device, or you can manually download it to your device from your Amazon books library!
And that’s it!
You can now read your new library book on whichever Kindle device you like best.
What else can you do with Libby?
While I personally use Libby almost exclusively for getting ebooks on my Kindle, the app can also be used for consuming other media as well. Ebooks and comic books can mostly be sent to your Kindle for reading, though I have come across some books that were only available to read inside the Libby app itself, and comics are better read on a color screen anyways.
Libby also offers magazines in the app, and can even notify you when the newest editions come out! If you don’t mind reading magazines digitally, this can be a great alternative to paying for subscriptions.
Lastly, if you’re looking for an audiobook to listen to during your next road trip, Libby also lets you check out audiobooks from your library. Unfortunately, you can only listen to them from within the app itself, so if you want to listen to an audiobook on your Kindle e-reader you’ll still need to get it from Audible. But, Libby’s audiobook works really well, and my kids actually prefer it to the Audible interface.
Do libraries offer any alternatives to Libby?
While Libby is my personal favorite option for getting media from the library, there are several alternatives that your local library might use alongside or instead of Libby’s app.
Another popular app that libraries might use is called Hoopla. Similar to Libby, it allows users to check out electronic media offered by their library, but Hoopla users can’t send books to Kindle reader devices. Instead, all Hoopla items must be viewed from inside the Hoopla app.
On the plus side, Hoopla offers music, TV series, and movies for download alongside their books and audiobooks.
I’ve also seen libraries that use an app called Axis360, but I don’t have any personal experience with it, and again, it doesn’t allow users to send media to Kindle.
Of course, if none of those work for you, Amazon offers its own library-esque program called Kindle Unlimited which has a pretty good variety of books as well. I’ve used Kindle Unlimited for years at this point, and while it doesn’t usually have the exact books that I want, I’ve almost always been able to find something worth reading when I take a look.
What Kindle Devices are compatible with Libby?
There are two main categories of Kindle devices available from Amazon: the reading-centric Kindle E-ink devices and the multimedia-focused Kindle Fire devices.
If you are looking for the best device for reading library books, I highly recommend using one of the e-ink devices. Not only do they do an excellent job of displaying black and white text in a clear and distraction-free manner, but their e-ink screens are easy to see even in full sunlight and light up so you can read at night. Some of them are even waterproof, which is great if you’re reading books during bath time. Especially if your kids are heavy splashers.
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Budget Option
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My Personal Pick
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Take Handwritten Notes
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$99.99
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$339.99
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The Kindle Fire Tablets are a bit different from the readers since they are full-color tablets instead of e-ink devices. They run on a fork of Android called FireOS that allows them to run the Libby app natively, but they aren’t great as a distraction-free reader. Instead, they are nearly full-fledged Android tablets and do most of the things you would expect of an Android device.
They aren’t the most powerful tablets out there, and their lack of the Google Play Store holds them back some, but they really excel as a multimedia consumption device with easy access to all sorts of Amazon and web media.
My kids both have a Kindle HD10 with an attached keyboard that they use every day for reading school books, watching educational videos, listening to audiobooks, and playing Minecraft.
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Budget-friendly
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Best overall value
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Best for real work
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Description: The Fire HD7 is the smallest and cheapest of the Fire Tablet line. They regularly sell for $60, but typically drop to almost half that during Amazon's major sales. |
Description: The Fire HD10 is what we have for our kids, and while it isn't really a laptop computer, it more than covers our kids' school needs at this age. Just be sure to get the extended warranty as something is almost certain to break during the 2 years it covers. |
Description: The Fire Max 11 Tablet is Amazon's newest and most capable Fire Tablet offering. It replaces the blue tooth keyboard accessory that the HD10 used with a POGO Keyboard similar to what you'd find on a Surface Tablet, and adds an active stylus for drawing or writing. |
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N/A
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$139.99
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$354.97
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The Fire HD7 is the smallest and cheapest of the Fire Tablet line. They regularly sell for $60, but typically drop to almost half that during Amazon's major sales.
The Fire HD10 is what we have for our kids, and while it isn't really a laptop computer, it more than covers our kids' school needs at this age. Just be sure to get the extended warranty as something is almost certain to break during the 2 years it covers.
The Fire Max 11 Tablet is Amazon's newest and most capable Fire Tablet offering. It replaces the blue tooth keyboard accessory that the HD10 used with a POGO Keyboard similar to what you'd find on a Surface Tablet, and adds an active stylus for drawing or writing.
